Balance: Book I - The Sky Walker
by Emperor Vladislav
Summary: A long time ago in a galaxy far far away... Disorder and suffering reign supreme. The all-encompasing field known as the Force is out of balance. Its followers push it into two extremes, Light Side and Dark Side, causing conflict and pain. But a child of the Prophecy rises, to bring Balance... But how?
1. Chapter 1

**Here's another one of my projects that I'm writing. I mean, I'm eventually going to get to writing. It's an AU, as they are called, but I don't want to delve too much into the details, so as to not spoil too much. But I can say It will be a mash of Canon and EU/Legends, amongst other things.**

 **Here's the prologue.**

* * *

The morning suns illuminated the forest, awakening the abundance of life-forms. Life, so beautiful and wonderful, seemingly timeless yet ever-changing, covered the world. Predators hunted. herbivores, in herds, moved about, grazing, thinning the population of plants just as the carnivores thinned theirs. Plants consumed the energy of light to produce sugar and oxygen. Everything had its place in the ecosystem. The balance of all living things ruled.

A structure of concrete and steel, hidden in the deepest corner of the forest, disrupted the otherwise perfect natural image. Life didn't let itself be bothered by it though; plantlife grew over it as if it were regular rock, leaving only a giant steel gate and a few windows of glass uncovered. Rays of sunlight shone through one such window, into a grey chamber.

Dozens of figures were lined through the chamber, sitting cross-legged on the floor. They were children of various species, about ten years old, listening to an adult lecturing from a raised platform at the other end of the chamber. Behind the lecturer, a male human in his older years, on the wall, were two giant symbols, drawn next to each other. The one on the left was smooth, with four circular shapes sticking up, down, left and right and a rough explosion-like shape in the middle. The one on the right was the inverse; the circles were placed within the rough shape.

"Thus you must always remember," the lecturer stated. "In the light, there is darkness. In the darkness, there is light. Be a prisoner of neither the Ashla," he said, pointing to the symbol on the left, "nor the Bogan," he said, pointing to the symbol on the right. "Follow the Bendu, the Balance between the two aspects of the Force. Whenever you feel the Balance shifting towards one, seek to push it back to the other, until you reach Bendu. Walk the middle path. It brings only pain and suffering, to others or to oneself, to do otherwise."

He breathed in, then the chamber, in unison, recited their mantra:

"There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.

There is no fear; there is power.

I am the heart of the Force.

I am the revealing fire of light.

I am the mystery of darkness

In balance with chaos and harmony,

Immortal in the Force."

The lecturer nodded in satisfaction. "You are dismissed. Enjoy your breakfast and don't be late for your lessons."

The smaller figures got up. Dozens of children, some faster, others slower, filed out of the hall. They condensed into smaller groups of three to six as they walked. All wore loose temple robes of varying shades of grey, tied together with leather belts. Chatter filled the chambers of the structure, as the group of children met and mixed with the older dwellers; teenagers, young adults, adults, even older people, like the lecturer from earlier. All moved south, towards the common cafeteria.

The dwellers' diet was humble; they ate what they could produce in the facility, with the occasional meat, when the hunters were sent out. But they didn't complain - their meals were nutritious, and the occasional treat brought something to look forward to. This was all in accordance with their teachings. They enjoyed their food, but not in excess.

One group of four children took the seats at the far side of the cafeteria, with their platters of food. It was comprised of two male humans, a female twi'lek and a male ithorian.

"Every day," one of the humans, a blue-eyed boy with shoulder-length naturally blue hair, said. "Every morning and every evening, they take us through the same lecture. I get it! Don't fall off Balance."

"Yeah, Ezra," the twi'lek replied. "But some might not. They show us how easily one can fall down the path of Light or Dark. You saw what becomes of such people."

"Baz, Baz," the boy, Ezra, answered. "If not for those, the lecture would seem like a religious sermon. We're an order of science and philosophy, not of dogmata! I can't wait till I become an Apprentice. No more mandatory lectures."

The other human, a blonde brown-eyed boy, raised his glass. "Two more years of Novicehood. Then, we find ourselves our own professors." They clinked their glasses together.

"Though, Loh-kee, Ezra probably won't have a problem, with that zabrak already watching his progress," the Ithorian stated

"You mean that Maul guy, Briwl?"

"Expert Maul." he corrected.

"Yes, him," Ezra said. "I heard he was far in the Dark Side when the Grand Master found him. Only with his guidance did he manage to find balance."

"Speaking of the Grand Master," Loh-kee interjected, "he comes today, doesn't he. What do you think he's like?"

"Well, he is the One, or so they say," Baz said. "He must be tall, handsome, wise, strong..."

"You're just listing positive traits," Ezra interrupted. "He can't be perfect, no matter how great he is. 'There is no perfection, only... uh... approximations?'"

"Master Hett says it better," Loh-kee stated.

"Master Hett is a Master," Baz said. "Of course he's good with big words!"

"Isn't he also one of the founding members of the order?" Briwl asked.

"Not only that!" Ezra answered. "He used to be a Jedi. One of the few that the Grand Master saved from the Purge." He leaned forward. "I hear he was also one of the Grand Master's first friends in his time as a Jedi."

"The first," Loh-kee corrected. "The Grand Master didn't have many friends in the Jedi Order."

Ezra hummed. "I wonder what it was like... The Jedi, the Clone War, the fall of the Republic..."

"Oh please!" Baz said. "We have history lessons, if you didn't notice."

"Yes," Ezra agreed, "but the Masters only tell us what happened, not how it was. They won't open up about how they experienced the recent history. The Experts won't talk either and most of the Adepts were about our age when the Empire was founded... Maybe if we asked the Grand Master? He was at the centre of it."

"The Grand Master?" Loh-kee said incredulously. "As if! He'll be to busy to have time for a bunch of Novices. But enough about him. Did you hear what happened in the Art Wing?"

Once their meal was done, the Novices filed towards their classrooms, where their lessons would start. They learnt the sciences, engineering, literature, languages, music, visual arts, philosophy and mathematics, as well as martial arts, deception, flying, programming and about the Force.

Ezra was sitting, leaning his head on his palm, listening to the Master drone on about the events which led to the Force Wars of Tython. Ezra had already read up on that, as the Master was not a good lecturer, with his voice monotone and dreary, which made even the most interestingly worded lectures tedious. The other Masters had received complaints about this and promised to find a suitable replacement for the professor of history. However, considering the small size of their order, finding someone who would have both the experteise and the desire to profess their knowledge of history to the young proved to be a hard task. The Novices wuld thus have to learn history on their own.

"The attack of the Infinite Empire thus shook the ancient Je'daii Order. After the Rakatan invaders were defeated, old grudges, cracks in the Balance of the order, emerged-... Novice Bridger! Are you paying attention?"

"Uh... of course, Master Binn."

"Then perhaps you might be able to continue."

Ezra sighed and got up. "After the Rakatan defeat, the schism from before only continued, with the two factions growing further and further into their respective Sides of the Force. Daegen Lok's followers believed that only with the power of Bogan could their ways be defended, while the Council argued that the Dark Side was dangerous and corrupting and followed the Ashla as the 'only force of good in the universe'. The latter eventually became what was known as the Jedi Order, the victors of the Wars."

Master Binn stared at the human boy and shook his head. "Am I boring you, Bridger?"

Ezra looked down. "I... shouldn't answer that question honestly, sir."

"You've already studied up on your history, I see. What are you still doing here? If you want to use your time more productively, all you have to do is ask."

"I may know my history, Master, but I wish to understand it. I know the facts, but what were all these wars like? What was it like to live through, say, the last years of the Republic?"

Master Binn stiffened. "Those... are some dark memories, Bridger. And, I'm afraid I'm not that good with recounting my feelings. Besides, I was at the sidelines most of the time. I didn't see the election of Palpatine, the Battle of Geonosis, or of Coruscant and neither the founding of the New Order." He chuckled. "Were it not for the Grand Master, I would probably have slept through the Purges as well... That's when I got interested in history, you see. I realised that I had missed historic events that changed the course of history."

After the history lesson, the Novices were given the rest of the day off, as the Masters would be busy meeting the Grand Master, who was just about to arrive at the complex. The children, thus, dispersed around the facility. Bridger and his three friends went to the Cloister of Reason, which was the largest of the five cloisters in the complex. The open arcade was the place often frequented by the members of the order seeking company and fresh air.

Ezra, Baz, Loh-kee and Briwl sat down on the green grass covering the ground and brough out the sabacc cards. Since they didn't have money, they simply played for points, which acted as bragging rights. The order encouraged competition, as it drove its members to improve themselves. Sabacc was also encouraged, as the game was perfect for training one's skills in deception.

As they played, the children listened in on a philosophical debate between two Adepts taking place in their vicinity.

"We come back to the concept of good and evil. Do not be deceived, though, that those two have any relatin to Bendu and Ashla. I never said that. However, good and evil are concepts present in all civilisations, except, of course, for those deeply immersed in the Dark Side. And they always seem to follow the same rules, to some degree. They are always the same. It might be that the Force is connected in some way to morality and suggests its concepts on us.

"True, it might be so. But, let's not forget, that the concepts of morality are not as universal as one might think. It seems that they only... shall we say, manifest in pack animals, that is, animals who live in groups. Morality is the by-product of societal life, as it is necessary for the stability of animal societies. Therefore, I don't think the Force has anything to do with it."

"Then whence comes the Light Siders' obsession with morality and justice? If it is not in the Force that good and evil were created?"

"Aha, but this raises another question. Which came first? Life or the Force? We know that the Force is some sort of field that connects all living things. But which is the truth? That there is no life without the Force, or that there is no Force without life?"

That was a question no one was sure how to answer. After thirty-five thousand years of orders dedicated to the Force, there was still much they didn't know about It. That was one of the goals of the young organisation; to study the Force, learn all there is to know about It, even if it takes millenia to fully understand It.

It was later, in the afternoon, that the four friends were walking in the quiet Cloister of Time, which was dedicated to the contemplation of past, present and future. It was commonly silent, with people coming here to remember whatever or whomever they've lost - even though it had already been ten years, the day the Empire was founded was still fresh in the memories of those who witnessed it. In silence, they would yearn for the day when the Empire would fall and the order could reveal its existence to the Galaxy.

Ezra looked towards the centre of the cloister, where a statue stood, dedicated to those that had fallen - and likely were to fall, if Bendu wasn't established - in the countless wars between the Light and the Dark. A lone figure kneeled before the statue of bodies mashed mercilessly together with weapons in hands and looks of pure sorrow on their faces. He was a man in a black suit of armour and a black cloak. The children knew who he was; this was Darth Vader, the emperor's right hand. However, the children knew him by another name: Anakin Skywalker, the One, the Grand Master of the order. With his position in the Empire, he very rarely came to the facility, so as to keep it hidden from the emperor.

"Master!" Ezra called to him, running towards him.

"Ezra, no!" Briwl shouted as his friends ran after him.

The figure got up and turned to see who had interrupted him. As the children reached him, they could see that his face was covered by a black, intimidating mask. His breathing was loud and artificial. Buttons on the front of the suit made the children realise, that the man was encased in a life-support unit.

"Sorry, sir, he's a bit rash," Baz quickly apologised to the One, but he raised his hand to silence them all.

"Why do you disrupt my mourning, Novice?" the Grand Master asked, his voice deep, produced atrificially.

"I have a few questions, sir," Ezra stated.

"Oh? And what questions are these?"

"What was living in the Jedi Order and the last years of the Republic like?"

The Grand Master remained silent for a while, so long, in fact, that the children started to think they had angered him. But he spoke: "That's... a loaded question. Have you tried asking some of the other Masters?"

"They give us vague answers, sir," the Novice answered. "As if it's a touchy topic."

The One took a few seconds to reply silently: "That, it is, Novice." He looked at the statue, repeating himself: "That, it is..."

Even with his mask, the man's melancholic stare didn't go unnoticed by the children. Aparently, even their Grand Master wasn't exempt from the painful memories plaguing those that had survived the Jedi Purge, those who had seen the Republic fall. However, before Ezra could question him further, an Adept, who had entered the cloister, interrupted him.

"Hey, you there, Novices! Help is needed in the Science Wing."

The Grand Master watched as the children left following the Adept. Behind his mask, he smiled fondly. He had been like them once; full of curiosity and naïveté. But that was a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

* * *

 **Here we go. Next up: twenty-two years earlier...**


	2. Chapter 2

One cannot say when it all started. History is a continuous chain of causes and effects, always in motion. It has no well defined beginning, for each event has one that came before and directly caused it. Bot for me, the story started some twenty-two years ago.

It was a time of turmoil in the Galaxy. The Galactic Republic, a parliamentary union of planets that had governed the Galaxy for thousands of years was reaching its final years. Its golden age had long passed, and corruption and perpetuity had a firm grip over it.

In this twilight time for the old government, there came a great conflict between the government and its elites, against the megacorporation of the Trade Federation. In the crucial year of the conflict a new trade route tax was put implemented on the southern trade routes. In protest, the Federation implemented a blockade on the Mid Rim planet of Naboo. While the Congress of the Republic endlessly debated this alarming chain of events, the Supreme Chancellor, Finis Valorum, secretly dispatched two Jedi Knights to settle the conflict, hoping that direct intervention would not be necessary. However, a phantom menace lurked in the shadows, unseen by all...

* * *

Two robed figures wearing hoods walked down the ramp of a Republic cruiser, which had just landed in the hangar of the Trade Federation flagship. They were greeted by a silver protocol droid.

"Greetings, masters! You are expected. This way please."

The two followed the protocol droid through the ship's hallways. They were led to an empty conference room.

"Viceroy Nute Gunray will be with you shortly," the droid stated, leaving the room.

The two figures removed their hoods, revealing a long-haired middle-aged man and a young adult with short hair, who had a thin, long braid.

"That was easy, Master," the younger one said.

The older one nodded. "Too easy. The Trade Federation isn't known to abide by the Republic's ruling."

"But they've never gone this far."

"No, Obi-Wan. But think about it, what enticed them to act now?"

Obi-Wan thought for a few moments. "The Southern Trade Tax is abnormally high, it affects their profits heavily, Master."

"True, but the Federation has been negatively affected by other trade reforms in the past century. Why did they act _now_?"

The young one pondered this for a few moments. "I'm not sure what you're getting at, Master."

"Think about it. The Trade Federation's main interests lie in the Galactic south, where they hold most of their power. A tax on the southern trade routes can be seen as an attack on the Federation. They have been amassing much power recently, and the Coruscanti elites felt threatened."

"I see."

"Our being sent here will further increase their unease. Keep your guard up."

Obi-Wan, staring out the window at the planet, felt a dark wave in the Force. "Something's wrong, Master."

"I agree. This dispute will destabilise the Republic as a whole. I sense severe consequences."

"It's not that, Master Qui-Gon. I feel... something else. Something elusive, lurking in the shadows. A... terrible presence, powerful in the Force. I can't pinpoint it, but it feels like it could rip the Galaxy ajar."

"Be mindful of the Livng Force, Obi-Wan. Focuse on the moment."

"But Master, Master Yoda always sais to have the big picture, the future in mind."

"You still have much to learn, my young Padawan. What is the future but the direction in which the path of now is heading?"

* * *

Viceroy Nute Gunray stood upon the bridge of the flagship, observing the Federation fleet as they all orbited the planet, pondering the latest development. Two Jedi had arrived from Coruscant. The Republic was onto them. One wrong move and the entire plot would be foiled.

The Neimoidian had just spoken with the queen of Naboo, styled Amidala. She was, as expected, not amused by the blockade and had refused an unconditional surrender. She had even threatened to call upon the Republic's help, should the Trade Federation dare to invade. Luckily, that would not be a problem, as all communications of the planet had been blocked. However, if the Jedi were here...

"Call Sidious. He'll know what to do."

* * *

"They are coming for us, Master," Obi-Wan stated.

"Already?" Qui-Gon unclipped his lightsaber from his belt. "Be ready."

Just as Obi-Wan unclipped his own, green gas started to enter the room through the ventilation system.

"Nerve gas," Obi-Wan stated, both of them taking a deep breath and holding it.

The two went straight for the door, taking cover next to it. Then, Qui-Gon opened it. A hail of blaster-fire commenced, with the aim to mow down anything standing in the doorway. The two Jedi remained unmoving. Then, the barrage stopped.

They waited for a few moments, then sprung from behind cover, igniting their lightsabers. B1 battle droids awaited them in front of the door. The two skillfully mowed them down. Obi-Wan cut down five with his blue lightsaber while Qui-Gon cut down three with his green one, incapacitating another three standing six metres away with a Force push.

* * *

"Sir, the Jedi have managed to destroy the droids we sent."

Gunray gulped. "Where are they now?"

"Not sure, sir. I don't see them on any camera... There! Hallway 11-b."

"Well, send more droids after them!" the viceroy barked.

'Damn it all. Damn that Sidious and his 'master plan'. If the Jedi get in here, I am doomed!'

"Sir, they destroyed another squad of droids!"

"Where are they now?" Gunray asked.

"Approaching the bridge, sir."

"Well, seal it then!"

The door to the bridge closed. It could now only be opened from the inside. However, the feeling of safety was broken short when the door started to heat up.

"Lightsabers!" one exclaimed. "They're trying to get through!"

"Reenforce the door!" Gunray barked. "And send some Droidekas on them."

The door stopped heating up as the Droidekas attacked the Jedi. They were quick, well armed and protected by a shield generator. The Jedi were forced to retreat.

"That was close," Gunray said. "Did they finish them off?"

"No, sir. They're... gone. Vanished without a trace."

"Should we report this to Sidious?"

Gunray looked gave him a sharp look. "Not yet. We'll find them. In the meantime, we should start the invasion. Lord Sidious instructed us to deploy our droid army on the far side of the planet from the capital of Theed."

"Why there? Naboo doesn't have much in the way of defences to begin with. Wouldn't a direct assault on the capital be more efficient?"

"I'm not sure. He might be worried about a militia forming. Doesn't matter. We'll do as he says."

* * *

The two Jedi, after escaping their pursuers, found themselves in the flagships hangar. They saw that hundreds of dropships were being loaded, with weapons, combat vehicles and, of course, Federation made battle droids, all in preparation to land on the planet below.

"There must be thousands of them. It's an invasion force," Obi-Wan stated the obvious.

"Quite. The situation is getting out of hand. We must contact the queen of Naboo and warn her." He pointed at a drop ship near them. It was already packed and almost ready to take off. "We'll stow away there."

"You were right, though, Master. The consequences were severe."

"Oh, they shall be more so, my young Padawan. They shall be more so."


	3. Chapter 3

Wildlife fleed the green forests as its natural daily cycle was interrupted by an uninvited guest. Thousands of dropships landed, unloading battle droids which secured various positions in the encountered no resistance. This was the far side of the planet from the capital of Theed, so there were no humans here.

That is, except for the two Jedi, who had stowed away on one of the ships. As soon as their dropship landed, they disembarked, quickly taking cover in the undergrowth. The Force was on their side and none of the droids noticed them. Nearby, they heard one of the units communicating with the flagship.

"Phase aurek complete, sir."

" _Proceed to phase besh. Standard procedure: crush all resistance on your path. And be on the lookout for two Jedi. They might arrive on one of the dropships."_

"Roger, roger."

Qui-Gon looked at Obi-Wan. 'We must find a way to Theed,' he thought. Obi-Wan heard his thoughts and nodded in agreement. They took off for the forest, sensing that it would be their best bet of finding a quick transport to Theed. Minutes later, they heard a noise behind them; the droid army was heading in the same direction, trees falling under their repulsor tanks, animals fleeing before them. They would need to get out of their way.

As Obi-Wan took cover, Qui-Gon heard a voice. A few metres away from him, a humanoid figure was standing, flailing in fear of the approaching armada. Why wasn't it fleeing? Was it in such shock that it didn't know what to do? The Jedi Master knew not, but he didn't need to. The being was in danger, so he ran toward it and knocked down on the ground, letting the hovering vehicles pass above them.

Once the danger passed, the Jedi got up, helping the being up as well. He noticed that it was a male gungan, a member of the sentient species native to Naboo, and its dominant race before the arrival of humans millenia ago. The amphibian was still in shock, but starting to calm down. He gazed at his savior.

"Yousa save moole life!" he exclaimed, bowing animatedly. "Tanken yousa!"

"No problem. You should find a safe hiding place, there's more of them coming this way." Qui-Gon started walking away, but the gungan followed him.

"Hide? Nosa, nosa! Yousa save mesa, mesa yousa servant. 'Onur diktets disa."

"That won't be necessary."

"Oh, berry necessary, mista! De guds demand disa!"

"The path ahead of me is dangerous."

"Mesa no fraidee-frog, mista!"

Obi-Wan, coming out of his hiding place, walked over to his Master. "That was too close for comfort, Master. We need a quick, subtle way to get to Theed before they do."

Before Qui-Gon could answer, the gungan chimed in. "Yousa gos to Theed? Mesa help. Otoh Gunga not far, daysa haven bongos."

"Who is he?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Mesa called Jar-Jar Binks, of Otoh Gunga. Hidoe!"

"I am Master Qui-Gon Jinn of the Jedi Order. This is my Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You say you can help us get to Theed?"

"Yesa, mista Jinne! Otoh Gunga berry close! Isa underwatah sitee!"

"Very well. Lead the way!"

"Okeeday, desa way!"

The energetic amphibian led them through the forest. Their surroundings slowly changed as the woodland gave way to swampland of dense undergrowth. The gungan tripped a few times, despite his sleek and dextrous physique, but quickly picked himself up whenever he clumsily fell.

"What were you doing up on land?" Obi-Wan asked after a few minutes of silence. "Are there any others of your people still somewhere around here?"

"Nosa, mista Obi. All-n daysa hiden in da sitees underwatah. Daysa all ran when da mackaneeks came."

"So why aren't you with them?"

"Isa... Yousa see, mesa been exiled. Mesa... mesa clutz."

"You were exiled... because you were clumsy?" Qui-Gon questioned.

"Yesa. Mesa bombad clutz."

"Still, that's a bit harsh," Kenobi commented.

"Desa oursa law, mista Obi," he said with a hung head.

They entered a clearing. Before them, vast lagoon stretched as far as the eye could see... which was not far, due to the morning mist. The water was dark and calm and the scene was serene, with only the distant noise of the droid army disturbing the peace.

The gungan steadied himself, then jumped several metres into the air, performing a tripple somersault, enthusiastically cheering all the way, before landing into the water.

"You think we can trust him?" Obi-Wan asked.

Qui-Gon, getting his A99 aquata breathing device out of his pocket, nodded. "He seems to be a simple being. Perhaps clumsy and a bit dull, but kind-hearted."

"Heyo! Yousa comen?!" the amphibian in question shouted from the water.

Qui-Gon put the artificial gills into his mouth, motioning with his hesd for his Padawan to follow. Obi-Wan obeyed, following his Master into the water with his own A99. Submerged, they swam, following the gungan into the deep.

As they swam through forests of kelp, passing schools of fish which swam by, undisturbed by their presence, the water got darker and colder. At least an hour must have passed until they could see a faint light in the direction they were heading. Minutes later Otoh Gunga came into view. It was a city made of bubble-like structures, built from hydrostatic force-fields that kept a breathable atmosphere inside of them. The layout of the city itself was a hub and spoke network, as the gungans actually grew the buildings from the planet's natural plasma, found beneath the crust.

The three beings swam towards one of the bubbles, to a docking area allowed passage into and out of the city. They walked through it, the force field drying their clothing as they entered. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon removed their aquata breathers and took in the air of the city. I was fresh and clean, probably extracted from the water.

"Welcome, mistas Jedi, to mesa home: Otoh Gunga!" Binks exclaimed, waving his hands energetically. This attracted the attention of the gungans within the bubble and enticed hushed whispers.

"Who daysa? Outlaunders?"

"Tis him!"

"Who hesa, mom?"

"Keepen away, Goob! Hesa a menace!"

Qui-Gon observed the reactions of the natives to their arrival. Most of them just took one look at their gungan guide before they promptly went to put as much distance between themselves and him as possible.

"You weren't kidding about your exile," Obi-Wan commented.

"You weren't just exiled," Qui-Gon added. "You were excommunicated." Jar-Jar hung his head in shame.

A gungan warrior, riding a kaadu, approached them, his spear pointed at Binks. "Yousa back, huh, you menace!? Wesa told yousa not to returnen! Yousa under arrest!" He noted the two Jedi. "And yousa bring outlaunders too? Whosa they?"

"Daysa Jedi! Daysa gos to Theed, to help de Naboo!"

The warrior eyed them. "Comen! Yousa all gos to boss Nass!" He declared.

They were taken through the network of bubbles. The gungans they passed looked on curiously at the two visitors, but averted their gazes upon seeing Jar-Jar and swiftly took off on their way. Obi-Wan found himself curious as to what the amphibian had done that had earned the disdain his people had for him, but decided not to ask upon seeing his posture. Truely, the Padawan thought, for him, this must be a walk of shame. Why would he take us here if he knew what awaited him.

Sensing his Padawan's thoughts, Qui-Gon spoke: "It will all be cleared up once we have a word with their leader, this boss Nass."

They reached the largest bubble, the central hub of Otoh Gunga - the High Tower. From here, the central government of the united gungan nation, the boss and the Rep Council, operated, ruling over all gungans. The three were taken to the Board Room, where the Council had already convened. As soon as they entered, all went silent. An ankura gungan, sitting at the head of the circle of councillors, the boss, eyed the warily.

"Yousa sayen yousa Jedi then?" he spoke.

"Yes, your excellency," Qui-Gon answered, bowing slightly. "We were sent here by the Republic to protect Naboo from an invasion by the Trade Federation."

"Wesa see de Trade mackaneeks landed. Yousa done mui bad job, mesa think."

"Yes, we were unable to ease the tensions and the Federation invaded," Qui-Gon said. "As we speak, the droids are capturing key planetary defensive points, advancing to Theed. Once there, they can force the queen and the planetary government to surrender. No doubt, they will demand that Naboo become a part of the Trade Federation."

"Yesa," Nass spoke. "Daysa have nosa chance of victory."

"If I may, your excellency," Qui-Gon continued. "You have warriors. Shouldn't you be helping your planetary cohabitors?"

"HA!" the boss exclaimed. "Wesa don't like de Naboo! Daysa think daysa are so smart! Daysa think wesa are savages! But daysa infest de lands with their sitees and palaces! Daysa have nosa respect for disa world or de guds! Good riddance, mesa spake!"

Qui-Gun stroked his beard. "You do realise that the Federation will bleed this planet dry if they get their way?"

"MESA SPAKE! Daysa will never find Otoh Gunga!"

"I see. Your people, your rules," the Master nodded. Then he discretely waved his hand, saying: "But we still have our mission. We need transport to Theed."

The boss, pacified under Qui-Gon's Force induced suggestion, rubbed his chin. "Yousa need bongos. Wesa have plenty."

"I'm sure you would at least be kind enough to lend us one?" Jinn, continued, tricking the gungan boss's mind.

"Yesa, it would be wude not to lend yousa a bongo. Yousa can reach Theed through de underwatah cave system, on the east shore of Padonga."

Qui-Gon smiled slightly, looking at his Padawan and nodding. Behind Obi-Wan, Jar-Jar smiled too. "Heh-heh! Underwatah caves. Yousa be needen a good guide," he said, waving.

A thought occurred to Jinn. What about Binks? What will become of him. The gungans' disdain for him was evident. This could end badly for the clutz. Obi-Wan and he, however, needed a guide, a local who knew the way. Perhaps he could help.

"Master?" Obi-Wan questioned, sensing his thoughts.

"We need a guide, my Padawan. Jar-Jar know the way. He can help us."

"But can we trust him with this task?"

"He may not be too smart, but his heart is in the right place."

Obi-Wan looked at the clumsy gungan in question, who smiled, waving his hand innocently. "You're right, Master."

So, Qui-Gon adressed the boss: "And Jar-Jar Binks? What is to be his fate?"

"Disa menace was exiled. His crimes warranted worse, but de Council decided besa merciful. But now, despite his sentence, hesa come back. Officially, hesa's an illegal. Wesa haven a trial, but de death penalty doesn't escape him disa time."

"Death penalty!?" Jar-Jar exclaimed. "Nosa! Mercy!"

"Yesa! Yousa be getten what yousa deserve. Yousa had yousa chance."

"I saved his life," Qui-Gon stated. "Apparently, your gods demand that he repay his life debt. He cannot do that if he's dead... You wouldn't go against the will of the gods, would you?"

The boss glared at the Jedi. "Binks! Yousa have life-debt to desa outlaunders?"

"Uh... Uh-huh!"

"Bah! Begone then, Jedi! And take Jar-Jar Binks with yousa! Good riddance..."


	4. Chapter 4

"The Federation has gone too far, viceroy Gunray! We shall not give in to your demands! And neither will the Republic!"

"Please, your majesty! Be reasonable! It's but a signature. That's all we need. The Republic won't intervene, of this I assure you."

"You demand we be reasonable, yet you are the one making the foolish move. We have been informed that the chancelor has sent two Jedi to negotiate with you. They should have arrived by now."

"Really, your majesty? I have not been informed of this. No Jedi came to negotiate, I'm affraid. You are on your own. Contact us again once you've decided to stop this nonsense."

As the transmission ended, queen Amidala hummed. The past two days had been hectic, and the young elected monarch of the planet of Naboo was starting to feel it. She was young, way too young to be a leader. She was fourteen, for crying out loud! But such was tradition. She was elected, by the people, from the nobility, for the people, to serve a term as queen. And she humbly accepted this task.

Naboo might have been a small, almost meaningless planet in the mid rim, but it had an unnatural supply of energy, in the form of plasmic magma, found beneath the world's crust. Throught the centuries, it had attracted both intrigued astrophysicists, interested in studying this strange phenomenon of nature, and businessmen, interested in the profitable clean power source. But now, the Trade Federation demanded exclusive rights to the plasma.

The queen's councilors remained silent for a while, the realisation that no help had arrived sinking in. They were defenseless. Aside from the modest Royal Security Forces and local militias, Naboo had no form of military, an issue that her Head of Security, captain Quarsh Panaka often brought up. As he did now.

"If we receive no aid from the Republic, we do not stand a chance against the Trade Federation, your majesty."

"They wouldn't dare to invade. The Republic would impose new sanctions against them," governor Sio Bibble, head of the Royal Advisory Council countered.

"I'm afraid they wouldn't. By taking our planet, the Federation would show that Coruscant holds no power over them. It would show that, outside of the Core, all worlds are at the mercy of the megacorporations, and need to fend for themselves. We should have built up our military when we had the chance."

"Built up our military? Captain Panaka, we let you modernise our Security Forces, and even that was more than our pacifist traditions allowed."

"Captain Panaka," the queen spoke, before the tension between the two could escalate. "If the Trade Federation does invade, what are our chances."

"I've raised the militias and put the Security Forces on full alert, your majesty. But we have no fortresses, or any form of defensive positions around Theed we could utilise. The men are ready to lay down their lives for Naboo and I'm afraid they'll have to."

"Let us hope they don't. We need you to come up with a defensive strategy, captain. Meanwhile, We shall contact senator Palpatine."

The senator representing Naboo's interests on Coruscant, Sheev Palpatine, appeared on the hologramme. The planet's representative, a fatherly man in his fifties, had been the queen's trusted advisor since her election, and a trustworthy political figure in the eyes of both the Naboo, as well as across the Republic.

"Senator Palpatine," the monarch spoke.

"Your majesty," the senator answered, bowing slightly.

"We are calling to inform you that our situation is dire. The Jedi negotiators the Chancelor has sent have, according to viceroy Gunray, never arrived."

"Strange. They should have come there by now," Palpatine answered. "Unless... Unless the Jedi had arrived and are now in his custody."

"Impossible," Bibble disagreed. "The Jedi wouldn't allow themselves to be captured easily."

"I think we often forget that the Jedi aren't omnipotent, Governor," the senator stated. "Just like you or I, they can be defeated if they are lulled into a false sense of security. I think we all remember our history lessons from school, of how the Third Republic fell."

"How are the talks in the Senate proceeding?" the queen asked. "Can we expect any aid from Coruscant?"

The senator sighed. "The situation in the Senate, your majesty, is troubling. As soon as the blockade of Naboo was first brought up, the representatives of the Trade Federation refused to take responsibility, denying their involvement. Meanwhile, instead of debating on how to solve the issue, the Core Alliance of the Galaxy and the Rim Coalition of the Republic engaged one another in a bid to further their own interests. As a neutral, I have, for the past few days, been trying to ease the tensions and have them focus on the issue at hand, to no avail."

"So, no help is coming?" captain Panaka asked.

"I shall try to speed the proceedings up, but-... prom-... -thing ..."

"Senator? Senator? You're breaking up!"

The line was cutn the senator disappearing off the hologramme im flickers. Silence fell on the chamber. Help wasn't coming any time soon and their communications were cut off. It didn't bode well for them.

"The Federation must be disrupting our communications," Bibble stated the obvious. "No. Would they be so bold as to...?"

"It is obvious, your majesty, that they are about to invade," Panaka said.

"What should be our defensive strategy, captain?" the queen asked.

The captain of the Royal Guard brought up a map of the area surrounding Theed. "Their forces are most likely to land here, here and here, on the plains to the east, to swiftly take the capital first, then deal with local militia groups. Their B1 battle droids have relatively little processing power and are, as individual units, a minor threat. Instead, they use a mainframe of sorts, possibly located on the enemy flagship, which handles most of the processes, allowing for deadly coordination.

We have no way to bring their dropships out of the sky, nor can we repel the attack on the ground. Our best bet would be to distract their central tactical AI with the ground battle, while we send out our fighters to bring down the flagship. If we act quickly, we might be able to win before they can react."

"Captain Panaka!" Amidala interrupted. "Are you suggesting we sacrifice our ground troops, for a plan that might not even work?"

The captain straightened himself up. "I see no other option, your majesty. If the alternative is to surrender our freedom to the Federation, then the men are more than happy to lay down their lives."

The queen closed her eyes in contemplation. "No. It's not worth it. I will not ask of my subjects to throw their lives away."

"But, your majesty-..."

"Her majesty has spoken, captain Panaka," governor bibble cut him off. "And I agree, we shouldn't sacrifice the lives of Naboo men. It's against our traditions and ethics and, quite frankly, not the right thing to do. "

* * *

As night fell, surprising reports reached Theed. The Trade Federation had landed on the far side of the planet. Apparently, captain Panaka's prediction was wrong; the droids were sent to subdue the far-off settlements first, before slowly marching towards the capital. Reports came in about thousands of battle droids encircling towns, outnumbering the defenders forty to one. To prevent bloodshed, the queen ordered them to surrender.

Queen Amidala couldn't sleep that night. Despite her loyal handmaidens' best efforts, she just was not able to retire to her chambers. Not when her planet was falling into the Federation's hands. She stared out the window in the throne room, overlooking the magnificent city of Theed. Only moonlight illuminated the jade domes of the buildings, as captain Panaka had ordered a complete blackout, hoping to somewhat slow the enemy down.

The monarch thought back to Panaka's battle plan. Thinking about it now, it was probably the only way to fight the Federation off. The Republic weren't sending aid any time soon, if ever. But, on the other hand, many lives would have needed to be sacrificed for it, which went against her morals, as well as the ethics of her people. But what about the suffering her people would now have to endure?

As the morning slowly approached, Amidala noticed lights on the plains on the horizon, menacingly approaching. They were here. From behind, she could hear the captain of the Royal Security Forces apptoaching, his boots clompig against the marble floor. "Captain Panaka," she adressed him.

"Your majesty. The droid army will be here in an hour, two at most."

The queen stayed silent for a few moments. This was it. It was too late to fight back now. "Order your men to surrender, captain. There is no way we could win."

Panaka wanted to object, but he knew that his ruler was right. "Yes, your majesty." He remained silent for afew moments, before stepping forward. "With your permission, your majesty?"

The young queen turned and looked him in the eyes. "Yes. I'll go through with what we have talked about."

* * *

As their sun rose from the east, so too did the droid army enter the capital city of Naboo. The inhabitants hid as the invaders marched through the empty streets, securing the spaceport, the square and, finally, the Royal Palace. The droids arrested the surrendering Security Forces and imposed a curfew, locking all civilians into their homes until further notice. Shortly thereafter, a shuttle arrived, carrying viceroy Nute Gunray, as well as his lieutenant, Rune Haako.

Escorted by a platoon of battle droids, they made their way to the royal palace, and entered the Council chamber. There, the Advisory Council already awaited them, standing up, with the droids' blaster rifles fixed at them. The room remained silent, with thick tension in the air.

Finally, Nute Gunray spoke: "Your majesty." He bowed mockingly. "I must apologise for the intrusion, but I felt that our business negotiations might proceed more smoothly if we were to speak in person."

"How dare you speak to her majesty in such a manner!?"

"Ah, governor..."

"Sio Bibble," Haako provided.

"Governor Sio Bibble," the viceroy said, walking across the chamber. "I would say your reputation preceeded you, but this is the first time I've heard of you." The neimoidian proceeded to sit down on the throne, much to the governor's ire. "Now please, I'm trying to conduct business with your queen."

"I will not give in to your demands, viceroy!" the monarch defied.

Gunray, clasping his hands together, leaned back on the throne. "I have control over your planet and your people, your majesty. All that remains is but your signature. We don't even demand much. Only the exclusive rights to your resources. In return, we provide all the benefits of the Trade Federation, from military protection, to cheap imported goods."

"My answer is no, Gunray!"

"Very well." He adressed a nearby battle droid: "Take her to a prison camp. Perhaps her peoples' suffering might make her reconsider."

"Roger roger!"

 _Unit B1-VG77156: 'New directive: Bring queen Amidala to a prison camp.'_

 _VG Server: 'Roger roger! B1-VG77156/77157/77158/77159/77160/77161: Bring queen Amidala to Prison Camp 5.'_

The battle droids herded the queen, her handmaidens and the Advisory Council out of the palace. As they walked the streets, they saw that the civilians were being rounded up. Their faces were filled with despair, their futures uncertain. As they noticed the queen passing by, they nodded at her respectfully, their eyes faintly glimmering with hope. The monarch didn't share their optimism.

They turned into an empty alley, the droids guiding them towards the Solleu river. Down the street and under an overpass they went, when they were suddenly attacked. Two robed figures jumped down from the pathway above, igniting their lightsabers. They cut down two of the droids. A third one took aim, but was knocked down when a third figure, a gungan, fell on it, tumbling down on the ground with it. The remaining three droids were quickly dealt with.

The robed men then approached the queen. "Your majesty! My name is Qui-Gon Jinn, Jedi Master. My Padawan and I have come to warn you of an impending invasion by the Trade Federation."

The queen didn't speak immediately, still a bit stunned by the surprise attack. "Thank you master Jedi, but as you can see, we are already well aware of the invasion."

"Well quite. We were... delayed. Our guide failed to mention what sorts of beasts lurked within the underwater caverns."

"Wh-... Hey! Yousa wanted shortest way, mesa delivered. And mesa warned: 'Nosa taken shortest way, it maybe nosa beste way.' But yousa listen? Nosa! Yousa sayen 'Daysa Force be guiden us.' Wowsa! Muy muy helpen, yousa Force!"

"Anyway," Qui-Gon ignored the gungan, "we should get out of here. The droids will be coming this way."

Without delay, the two Jedi led the group of Naboo councilors, thenqueen and her handmaidens, as well as their Gungan guide, left the alley, narrowly avoiding a squad of battle droids. They hid in one of the buildings, a civilian dwelling, by the looks of it. There were signs of a struggle - knocked-over furniture, a broken vase - so evidently, not everyone went quietly. There was some fighting spirit left in the Naboo people.

"Now, we can talk," Qui-Gon declared. "Your majesty, under the current circumstances, I suggest you come to Coruscant with us."

"Master Jedi, I must decline. My place is with my people."

"Really? Not where your people need you to be?"

"Show some respect towards her majesty!" Panaka exclaimed.

"The Federation has taken over Naboo and the Senate is still engaged in talks. Our best bet to get them to act would be to bring the monarch of Naboo before them, to deliver first-hand reports and to win the masses' sympathy," the Master elaborated.

"I must agree with Master Jinn," Bibble stated. "If Naboo is to remain free, your majesty must travel to Coruscant to seek aid from the Republic." He paused. "I shall remain here, to keep the people's morale high, and await your return."

The queen nodded. "Very well. There's a hyperspace-worthy vessel in the hangar."


	5. Chapter 5

"There's the blockade!" captain Panaka announced, peering from the bridge into the space before them. True enough, dozens of Federation ships converged on them from their steady orbit around Naboo. They had the planet almost completely surrounded. And they were ready for them. Those droids the Jedi destroyed in the hangar while they were liberating the queen's cruiser must have signaled to the AI mainframe that they were coming. The ship's reflective silver surface didn't help them much either.

"How long until the hyperdrive is ready?" Qui-Gon asked, keeping himself steady behind the pilot's seat.

"It's still warming up!" Obi-Wan, sitting at navigation, answered. "Five to ten minutes!"

The Trade Federation ships opened fire, volleys of blaster bolts hurdling towards the cruiser. They battered their shields as they neared them. Vibrations rang over the J-type 327 Nubian Royal Cruiser, and suddenly, an alarm started to wail.

"Our shields are gone!"

"Perhaps picking the ship with a bright, reflective hull wasn't the best choice," Qui-Gon said. "That crude, dark one might have been better."

"Send out the astrodroids to repair the shield generator! Quick! We're sitting ducks up here!"

The droids were sent out into space to make the repairs. The ship shook some more as more shots met their target. The Nubian, now cruising through the Federation fleet, was taking a heavy beating. Despite the risk of friendly fire, the blockading ships continued firing. Upon their hull, the droids, who were busy repairing the shields, were taking a few of the hits, being destroyed instantly. A single, blue-striped white astrodroid remained, continuing its job. A shot nearly missed it as it worked, its resolve wavering slightly as its self-preservation protocols kicked in. However, it's directive quickly overwote them.

"The shields... they're back, sir! That little droid did it!"

"Then let's get out of here!" Panaka declared. Without a moment to lose, The jumped into hyperspace, leaving the system. There was a collective sigh as realspace disappeared from their sight. "Damage report!"

"Sir! The hull was dented but I'm not seeing a breach. Thrusters are stable. The only thing we've lost are all our droids."

"Except for that R2-D2."

"There's a problem," Obi-Wan stated. "It seems our hyperdrive has been damaged. It won't hold until Coruscant."

"That can't be good," Qui-Gon said. "We're travelling straight through Trade Federation territory, with a hyperdrive that could give out at any time."

"What do you suggest?" Panaka asked.

"Well, perhaps the shortest way to our destination isn't the shortest path," the Jedi answered. "A little detour, around the danger can be the difference between arriving too late and not arriving at all."

"A detour?"

"There, Master," Obi-Wan said, pointing at his screen. "Tatooine. It's obscure, yet developed enough to have a spaceport."

"Tatooine?" the captain asked. "Never heard of it."

"I'm not surprised," the Jedi Master stated. "It's main economic activities are, if I remember correctly, moisture farming, scrap dealing and providing shelter to the underbelly of society." Noticing the Royal Guardsman's questioning gaze, he explained: "It's controlled by the Hutts."

"The Hutts? You can't take her majesty there, Hutts are gangsters!"

"You're right," Qui-Gon nodded, stroking his beard. "What was I thinking? We should go to Neimoidia instead."

It was settled that they would make an emergency landing on Tatooine. The two Jedi decided to take the time to assess the damage done to the hyperdrive, see if they could repair it witn what they had. They made their way through the ship, to the engine room. They passed one of the handmaidens, a young, teenage girl, who was busy cleaning their hero, the droid. She had introduced herself as Padme earlier.

In the hyperdrive room, they found Jar-Jar, who looked even more alarmed than usual. "Mista, Jinne, mista Obi! Dis mui bad, dis is! Hipa-majik is gone! Wesa gonna die!"

"Calm down, Jar-Jar! Go help clean the droid, we'll handle this."

The two Jedi took a look at the hyperdrive, as much as they could while it was functional. The damage was worse than they had anticipated. The transpacitor was broken beyond repair, meaning the drive could overheat at any moment, the fuel was leaking and the null quantum field generator was at the point of breaking as well. The fact that they were still alive was a Force-sent miracle. And they wouldn't be for long. With each second of running, the hyperdrive damaged itself even more.

"This is severe damage, Master. We'll need a new one."

"Yes," Qui-Gon agreed. "We'll land on Tatooine, outside the spaceport so as to not attract attention, quietly buy a hyperdrive compatible with a Nubian, and be on our way to Coruscant."

"Sounds simple enough."

"You've much to learn, young Padawan... These thing never go as easily as they sound. It's one of the mysteries of the Force." They went quiet, a solemn silence decending between them.

"... Master?"

"You'd mentioned a bad feeling, right? Something... elusive?"

"Yes. Like a phantom menace. What is it, Master?"

"Look at the damage on the hyperdrive. There's no way this was done by a shot from a Federation ship."

"Are you suggesting someone sabotaged it?"

"Precisely. But who? No one aboard has a motive..."

"... The gungan looked a bit nervous earlier."

"No, not him. He wouldn't do that. He's not that clumsy. No, it must have been sabotaged before we liberated the ship from the droids."

"By the Federation?"

"Perhaps... But if they wanted to stop us from leaving Naboo, they could have just destroyed the ship itself, and not given us a chance to escape. Someone wanted us to leave, but not escape too far."

"But who?"

"I don't know, my young Padawan. But keep an eye on that 'bad feeling' of yours. I have my own feeling that our phantom might be more relevant to our here and now than I initially thought.

* * *

There comes a point in the story when I finally appear. There's an old saying: 'All the Galaxy is a vid, and everyone within it mere characters. They have their entrances and their exits, and one person, in his time, plays many roles.' Indeed, back then, I had no idea about that saying, much less a scope of the role I would play. But this is my entrance.

The day began like any other. I woke up early, in the crammed dwelling I shared with my mom. We had a small breakfast - nothing fancy, just enough nutrients to give us enough energy for the day - then headed for work. I went to open the shop. Watto, the shop's owner, as well as my mother's and mine, was already there, waiting for me. However, instead of punishing me for being late, the toydarian simply yawned, slaping me over the head slightly and making a chastising remark. It was way before the opening time, after all.

Watto was, let's say, nice. Few slaves had the luck of having an owner like him. He didn't beat me or my mom, except that one time when he was trying to prove to the other owners he wasn't too lenient with us. When he did punish us, it usually took the form of smaller food rations or doing some menial task for him in the middle of the night. However, like his punishments for diobedience, the rewards for a job well done were modest too.

He sold spare parts, scrap, old machinery, like most merchants in Mos Espa, and likely the whole of this ball of sand called Tatooine. As one might imagine, there was a lot of competition to deal with, and Watto truly tried to strike it big. With little success. There were times he angrily stated that it was us, my mom and I, who dragged him down. But that statement was usually followed by: 'I bought this piece of used machinery, can you get it working again?'

It was a life of servitude, for my mom and me. I repaired scrap tech and helped Watto around the shop, while mom looked for business deals and did household chores for him. It wasn't a life I wanted to live for the rest of my days, and it wasn't something I wished for my mother either. The other slaves my age often laughed at me for that, so I stopped talking about it. But I never stopped hoping, looking for that opportunity that would be my that opportunity arose on that fateful day.

So, a Jedi, a teenage girl, an astro-droid and a gungan walked into my shop. At the moment, of course I didn't know that the human man was a Jedi, but he certainly carried himself in a peculiar way I have never again, in my entire life, seen in any person, Jedi or otherwise.

" _Watto! Costumers!_ " I called in Huttese. Most owners preferred to be called 'master', but the toydarian in question didn't care what I called him, as long as I pulled my weight.

" _Ah, come in! How can I help you?_ "

"I'm looking for a hyperdrive core, one that would be compatible with the J-type 327 Nubian," the male human spoke, in Galactic Basic.

There was a twinkle in Watto's eye. These people were outsiders, probably from more coreward parts of the Galaxy. 'Those idiots will buy pretty much anything,' he had once remarked. "Hm... Awfully specific, esteemed costumer. Let's go to my yard, shall we? Yes, we'll find something for you!"

And so, my owner guided the man out into the backyard, where he displayed his stock. I never understood why he did that, though. Having them out in the open wasn't good for the machinery. The two suns would scorch them during the day, thieves could steal them during the night and the ever present sand wasn't very helpful either.

However, that ws the last thing on my mind at that moment. I tuned the toydarian and the man out of my mind as soon as they left, as my focus was on the girl that came with him. She was about my age - which was, at the time, fourteen standard years, thank you very much! - and she was beautiful! There were other human girls my age around, slaves like me, but they were nothing compared to her. She was... She was...

"An angel..."

She looked at me - which quickened my heartbeat. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

I realised my blunder quickly. I had muttered that out loud. In the midst of that momentary teenage infatuation, my mind somehow scrambled to find a way to salvage the situation. "Uhh... An... Well, angels. Haven't you heard of them? The most radiant, stunning beings in the known universe. I've heard some of the traders talk about them. They live on the moons of Iego. If one can believe traders, that is."

She smiled, sending a tingling feeling into my stomach, one I had never experienced before. "Well, aren't you learned. How do you know so much?"

"Well..." I said smugly, "a guy in my position hears many rumors. You know the Jawas? One of the native species of Tatooine? They live in these massive sandcrawlers, moving all around the planet. They were supposedly built around four thousand years ago, by the Czerka Corporation, which held mining interests on the planet!"

"Really?" she said, obviously not knowing what I was talking about. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

Inwardly, I kicked myself. I had been trying to impress a girl, and introducions had completely slipped my mind. Stupid, stupid, stupid! "I'm Anakin."

"Well, Anakin, I am Padme."

She offered me her hand. Today, I know that she wanted me to shake it. That, or kiss it, I guess. But I, as a slave, had never been offered a hand. Handshakes were something free beings did with other free beings. Slowly, but gratefully I siezed her hand, but only for a moment, fearing reprecaussions for touching a client as if I were her equal. Padme looked at me, confused, but said nothing.

"Padme, Jar Jar, R2! Come, we're leaving," the male human, returning ftom the yard with Watto, said.

The majestic girl nodded. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Anakin."

And so, they left into the streets, the gungan giving me a quick smile and small wave as they went. The tangible magic I felt in the air dissipated and my mind returned to the present.

" _Offworlders! They think we're a bunch of fools, they do. He tried to pay with Republic Credits, that ponce. Kept going on how 'Dataries will do fine'. Might as well pay with an I.O.U., while you're at it! They're the fools, I tell you, Anakin!_ "

" _If you say so, Watto..._ "

" _Bah! What do you know, anyway! Ahhh... I feel another headache coming. Clean up! Then, you can go home! I'm closing up early today. But don't be late again tomorrow!_ "

" _Yes! Thanks, Watto!_ "

" _Whatever..._ "

As soon as I cleaned up, I ran into the streets of Mos Espa. I don't know what, but something told me that I needed to find those offworlders. I figured that they just might be a one-way ticket off that forsaken piece of rock, for my mom and me. I sometimes got these gut these gut feelings, and they were right, more often than not. Plus, I'd get to talk to this 'Padme' girl again.

I knew what they were after - a high quality hyperdrive core - so I could predict which way they would go: they'd try the other shops - and find out that the supply of the good they were after was very small; Watto had the only one in the city, probably on the enitire planet. So, unless they were planning to make a decades-long trip to the nearby Geonosis, they'd have to eventually decide that Watto was their only hope.

After a few minutes, I spotted them, walking slowly through the scorching heat. I followed them from a distance, listening in to their conversation.

"No Hipa-majik! Wesa stuck here, mista Jinne!" the gungan lamented.

"We'll figure something out," Padme optimistically said. "There has to be someone apart from that toydarian who could sell us a hyperdrive core."

"I wouldn't count on that," I chimed in, approaching them. They stopped in their tracks, recognising me from before. "That hyperdrive core Watto's got in his shop? It's the only one of its model you'll find in Mos Espa. And I can help you get it."

They looked at me, silently taking in what I'd just said. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced, mister...?"

"I'm Anakin, sir. Anakin Skywalker."

"Qui-Gon Jinn. The girl is Padme, this here is Jar-Jar. You mentioned you could help us?"

"I could. But I'll want something in return."

"Will Republic Dataries do fine? Your boss thoroughly explained that they are no use out here. And it's all we have."

I chuckled. "Don't worry. It's not money I want. I'll explain everything. But not here. How far is it to your ship?"

"It's a few kilometres out of the city."

"Too far. There's a storm coming this way. It should be here within the next hour. And you don't want to get caught in a sandstorm. Come. I'll take you to my place. It's not far from here."

True to my word, a massive cloud of sand could be seen on the horizon, approaching the city, so the offworlders took my invitation and followed me to my mother's and my living quarters. I had lied when I said they were close - they were on the other side of the markets; still much closer than their ship though. The wind started to pick up as we entered the slaves' living area, sand hitting our faces. We reached the small hut just in time.

"Mom! I'm home!" I called as I entered shaking the sand out of my hair. "I brought some visitors!"

My mom raised her gaze from the files she had on our dining table - still hard at work, running practically half of Watto's business - and smiled. "Welcome home, Ani. Who are these people?"

"Mom!" I blushed in embarassment. "Don't call me that! It's girly."

The older human introduced himself: "My name is Qui-Gon Jinn, ma'am. Your son was kind enough to offer us shelter from the storm."

Mom hummed. "Then you'll be staying the whole night, I'm afraid. The weather report said it won't wear off untill morning." She got up. "Well, don't just stand there, at the doorway. Shmi Skywalker is a good host, you'll see! Sit down. I don't have much to offer, but I guess you must be hungry. My son and I have managed to save up a few of our food rations."

As the man and his gungan companion (humble servant, if I heard correctly) sat down and Mom went to prepare dinner, I tugged on Padme's sleeve. "It'll take mom a while to prep the food. Come. I want to show you something."

I lead her into my room. And instantly regretted my decision when I realised how messy it was. Various tools lay around on the floor, which was also littered with various contraptions - some more functional than others. I looked at her, to see her reaction, and let out a sigh of relief at the fact that she wasn't focused on the mess. She was, instead, staring at the humanoid form lying on my bed (I preferred the floor, thank you very much).

"Is that a... protocol droid? Did you build that?"

"Well... yes and no to both questions. Sometimes, I find old scrap parts around Watto's shop, ones he's abandoned all hopes of selling, so I... borrow them. Amongst them were old droids. Lots of them. There was a C-3P0 protocol droid's head, for instance. Or an IG-32 assassin droid's torso. Anyway, I took those pieces here, and reassembled them together. It's lacking a body-shell, for now, but it's almost finished."

Indeed, the droid had its chassis, with all the necessary components, from the motorised joints and energy capacitors, to sensory input devices and the central processor. "Does it function?" Padme asked.

"Oh, sure!" I opened the computer next to it, which was wired into its head. "I tried to use what was left of the protocol droid's memory, but most of the data was either corrupted or missing altogether, but I managed to salvage some of its functions. It had retained most of the etiquette and protocol dirrectives, sound processing and many languages - more than a million of them, in fact! But there was a major problem - it was missing the basic motor functions. It couldn't move properly. Most droids have those copied into them, either from the model who had to learn how to move or a simulation, so I tried something similar. I expanded its neural network's capabilities, to enable independent learning. I've been having it run simulations for a few months now, on this computer. I haven't seen it stand up yet, though."

At the time I was completely oblivious to the fact that I had lost Padme at data corruption. But it didn't matter to me at the time. Earlier, Her presence had made me (pleasantly) nervous. But now, I was calm and confident, as I talked about something I was passionate about. I had planned for that. After all, I knew people found passion attractive. Now, it was only a matter of my creation not embarassing me in front of a girl.

It's processor whirred as it booted up from sleep mode. It made a few movements with its neck, looking around. "Excuse me, but I appear to have lost my ability of depth perception," it said. I sighed. That again. The problem was purely in the hardware. One of the cables on the right eye had a bad contact, kept falling out. I quickly reattached it. "Ah, thank you, Maker, that's better."

I looked at Padme. She didn't seem to mind the blunder. The droid now rose into a sitting position. It had managed to do that before, so that was no surprise. Then, it supported itself on its hands, pushing itself upwards. As it straightened up, it swaggered, almost falling over, but managing to steady itself. "The weight distribution in the simulator seems to be a bit off," it commented. Then, it noticed the girl watching it. "Oh, excuse my manners, madam. Greetings. I am C-3P0, human-cyborg relations. Cybot Galactica promisses that you will find this unit most pleasing. If you don't, you are entitled to [Error: data corrupted], or provide a [Error: data corrupted] to your doorstep! Hmm... I didn't know I still had those dirrectives. I apologise. I was required to say that you are entitled to a replacement unit if I break down. Since my warranty is long expired, it is no longer necessary. There, deleted."

Padme stared at the droid in awe. "He's perfect," she said.

C-3P0 took a few more steps around my room, testing its moves. At the doorway, it ran into the astrodroid which had come with the offworlders. "Oh, hello there. I am C-3P0. And you are?"

"01010010 00110010 00101101 01000100 00110010" it replied, with beeps and boops, speaking in binary. I never understood why astromechs weren't equipped with proper audio processors. They wouldn't take up a millionth of their memory, and it would be much more practical. Must be one of those strange traditions.

"Oh, R2-D2. a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"01011001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01101110 01100001 01101011 01100101 01100100"

"Naked? What in the dissassembly line are you talking about?"

It was safe to say that Padme was impressed. That, or she was really good at pretending to be. I, for one, was satisfied. My droid had managed to learn to walk. It might not seem like much, but motor functions are the most important ones for a droid to perate properly. I had no time for further tests, though, as dinner was served. We all sat down at the tableand tucked in. Soon, our conversation turned to the matter at hand.

"Your son said he could be able to help us."

Mom, gave me a worried look, the one that said: 'What are you scheeming this time?' I replied to Qui-Gon: "Everyone here is a gambler, from the richest to the poorest. They'd bet anything on anything. Why, Gardulla the Hutt lost us in a particularly bitchin' podrace!"

"Ani! Language!"

"Lost you?" Padme asked. "As property?"

"Isn't it obvious? They're slaves," Qui-Gon explained.

"Slaves? But the Ruusan Constitution, the Rights of Sentience-..."

"Don't exist out here," my mom said. "Tatooine isn't a member of the Republic, so it isn't bound by its laws. And even if it were, the Republic really has no way to enforce its laws on far-off worlds, aside from financial sanctions."

Padme was silent for the rest of the conversation, contemplating my mother's words. I, however, continued: "Have any of you ever seen a podrace?"

"I've seen a few on Malastare," Qui-Gon answered. "A dangerous sport, illegal on most worlds."

"Malastare? You haven't seen a proper podrace until you've seen a Boonta Eve classic. And it's the day after tomorrow. I have a pod."

"Ani, you're not racing again, I told you I die of worry every time you get into that infernal machine."

"I can do it, mom! I'm the only human who can do it! Besides, only the pod was damaged when I crashed the last time. And it's fully fixed now, it'll run!"

"Anakin!"

I ignored her. "If you can sponsor me in the race, by betting something on me winning, you can get Watto to counter your bet. You can demand the hyperdrive core from him!"

Qui-Gon contemplated for a bit. "You're risking a lot, kid. You said you'd want something in return?"

I nodded. "If I win and get you your hyperdrive, I want you to free my mother and myself, and take us off this rock."

My mother looked at me in shock while Jinn hummed. "And how do you expect me to do that?"

"You'll think of something. You Jedi always do."

"How did you know I was a Jedi?"

"Your weapon, your light sabre gave it away."

"Well, I could have just stolen it, or killed a Jedi and robbed his corpse."

"But you didn't. You've just confirmed it."

* * *

"Lord, Sidious! I wasn't expecting your call. How can I help you?"

"Save me the pleasantries, Gunray. It has come to my attention that her majesty has slipped through your grasp, and escaped the system."

"My lord... We are currently engaged in tracking all her possible destinations. We'll find her."

"Don't bother. You're too incompetent for this task. Allow me to introduce my apprentice, Darth Maul. He'll find your missing royal."

The call ended and the viceroy let out a strained breath. Things were spiraling out of his control, the danger increasing. This really wasn't what he had expected.

"This is getting out of hand," Rune voiced Nute's thoughts. "Now there are two of them. This is bad business, Gunray."

"I know, Haako."

"We're just traders. This isn't what we deal in! This is going way too far."

"I know, Haako."

"We never meant for things to go this far. Prison camps? Extortion? Hijacking an entire planet?"

"I know, Haako!" Gunray shouted. "But we're in too deep now, I'm afraid."


End file.
